ECNIS2

"ECNIS2: towards ECNIS Centre for Research and Education on Cancer, Environment and Food"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The proposed project ECNIS2 aims at continuing the integrative and coordinative works initiated during ECNIS network with an ultimate goal of transforming network into a virtual centre, the European Centre for Research and Education on Cancer, Environment and Food (ECRECEF). ECNIS has already laid foundations for the development of the centre by bringing together researchers from different disciplines (epidemiology, chemical analysis, genetics, molecu¬lar biology, nutrition, exposure assessment, risk as¬sessment, harmonisation and standardisation of methodologies and analytical techniques). The initiatives undertaken within ECNIS will be continued during ECNIS2 and will focus on the main pillars, so called “ECNIS added values” including: Molecular Epidemiology and Cancer' (MEC) database, Core facilities for: standardized chemicals, antibodies and analytical methodology, European Standards Committee on Urinary DNA Lesion Analysis (ESCULA), and European Comet Assay Validation Group (ECVAG), ECNIS Repository, and Training and educational program. The works of as many as 21 ECNIS2 partner institutions from 13 countries (incl. 4 SMEs) will be organized within the framework of nine workpackages, five Infrastructural (WP1-ECNIS Centre establishment; WP2-Validation and Standardization; WP3 – MEC database; WP4 – Spreading of Knowledge; WP5- Education and training), three Thematic (WP6 - Biomarkers use for cancer prevention; WP7 - Dietary exposure and cancer risk as modified by genetic polymorphisms; WP8- Ethics, Communication and Gender) and Managerial –WP9. Research coordination, education and dissemination will be key outputs, together with the formulation of strategy for transformation of ECNIS into the Centre (ECRECEF).

ECNIS2 will facilitate the transformation of a dynamic European consortium into a durable structure of the co-ordinating centre.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Environmental factors, nutrition and lifestyle play a major role in cancer development. Exploration of the environmental risks requires the use of biomarkers to monitor exposure and determine the resultant biological effects.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The EU-funded http://www.ecnis.org (ECNIS2): 'Towards ECNIS centre for research and education on cancer, environment and food' project and its predecessor ECNIS, brought together the best European research groups involved in cancer prevention. The ultimate goal of the project was the creation of research network to identify the environmental risks of cancer. That effort also included discovering genetic factors of cancer susceptibility and development of new diets with cancer preventive properties.

A major focus of ECNIS was the identification and use of biomarkers of carcinogenesis. These are substances which can be measured in body fluids or tissues for information about exposure to carcinogens before the appearance of clinical disease. Genetic polymorphism also serves as a biomarker of individual susceptibility to carcinogenesis. ECNIS research also addressed the mechanisms of interaction between carcinogenic chemicals and food components.

ECNIS2, a Coordination and Support Action, followed on from the ECNIS project and, with the objective of continuing the integrative and coordinative work initiated by ECNIS during the period 2005-2010. The ultimate goal is to transform the network into a virtual centre for research and education on cancer.

More than 100 researchers from different disciplines (epidemiology, chemical analysis, genetics, molecular biology, nutrition, exposure assessment, risk assessment, harmonisation and standardisation of methodologies and analytical techniques) have been involved in the project putting together an molecular epidemiology and cancer database and an education and training programme comprising several training courses, a web-based training course, and a fellowship programme. The project also created a highly popular ECNIS repository for storage and access of digital documents dealing with the environmental hazards linked to cancer.

These important achievements have helped improve the coordination of cancer research in Europe.